Welcome to our April addition. This will be an interesting job to view. The yard has multiple levels, and its shape is unique-much like an “L”. It will take several pictures to tell the story. When I came for our appointment with Steve and Barbara, they had ideas of what they wanted, but because of the layout of the yard, the part they wanted to use for entertaining (1/2 of the longer part of the “L”), was not going to work. It would be awkward to say the least. The problem was the elevation of their yard. They looked right down into their neighbor’s backyard, so there would be no privacy for them or the neighbors when they were entertaining. There was a lower portion (where the guys are working in the picture of the wall), that they assumed would be lawn or landscape. I told them we could build it as they saw it, but it was always going to be awkward. My suggestion was to convert the lower area into their entertaining area. I encouraged them to forego the upper area, and use it only for light landscape and getting to the garden and garage. The lower area would always be private, and they would never have to worry about awkward situations. Itwould be kind of cool stepping down into a lower area for eating or conversing. In my mind’s eye, this lower area was just asking to be converted into a bistro area. It was like a treasure just waiting to be found and developed. I saw the whole yard finished, and could explain it to Steve, who could somewhat envision it, however Barbara could not see it. Conceptualizing is hard for her, and to make matters more challenging, they did not know us other than by a referral from their neighbors. These were the same neighbors whose yard we featured in the March issue. When a client meets me and has also been reading our articles and seeing our jobs, it makes a huge difference. It’s like I am almost family 😊. We can then start a job with the client being comfortable and trusting us. When they do not receive the magazine, it is a completely different experience. Therefore, with Steve and Barbara being so hands on and not receiving the magazine, and Barbara not being able to conceptualize, it made the project a bit more tense. It was not until we got about three quarters of the way through that Barbara began to relax. It always makes the job more enjoyable when the client can begin to see what I have seen. I think that walking through green acres is a key to helping our clients, because by that time the yard is almost ready for plants.
After consulting with Steve and Barbara on the use of their space, and how much lawn versus how many plants, the length of the paver area etc., I finally had the design figured out. The estimate was pricey, requiring some technique and time as the pictures show. The yard had multiple areas of use (from left to right) – garden and shed area ( both yet to be built), a paver/bistro area with steps coming down into it, a waterfall (that another contractor did), lawn area, planters, and a Zen area to the extreme right. The Zen area received the most amount of shade, so it was ideal for this. When it came to the steps and where they should finish, it seemed very logical and practical to me that they should finish at the patio. However, there was a bit of an arm wrestle in discussing this. In Barbara’s mind, the way to get down to the bistro area was to use flagstone because the steps seemed too harsh for her. She wanted something softer. My concern was with such a high trafficked area and the extreme elevation change, we needed something solid; something that was substantial and safe. I told her that I would argue my case for their sake, however in the end, if I could not convince her, we would do it her way. She is the client after all. Sometimes this posture of mine makes things a bit tense, however if I do not take this stance, I do not believe I am giving or doing my best to the client. In the end, Barbara agreed with me, which I was so thankful for. Connecting the steps to the patio was such a big part of the design, and its function was to conduct traffic from the home to the bistro area safely.
We are a design build landscape company, and that is why we are being hired. We have to be able to imagine what could be and then have the vision to know how to bring it to reality. Some people need a design in their hand to illustrate what their yard will look like, and that is fine. As the designer/owner of our company, I do that, but I use upside down marker paint and paint out the design in the client’s yard. I believe it is more to scale and realistic, allowing the client to see the actual dimensions in their yard, from fence to fence, and not just on paper. At the same time, I am communicating the design to my men. It saves me and my men time, in that we do not need to keep referencing a plan and measuring, thereby saving the client money. In turn the money saved can go toward improving their yard, which is ultimately what I want for them. Every single design we do follows this process, therefore we do very little H.O.A jobs, for they require a drawn out plan.
Gardeners – now is the time to get your garden in. Remember to space the vegetables accordingly. Vegetables are the one category of plant that become excessively larger than how they are sold. Until next time, Good Gardening